Alcatel-Lucent and Vodafone Conduct TWDM-PON Field Trial

Alcatel-Lucent and Vodafone are conducting the first European field trial of TWDM-PON ultra-broadband access technology as the operator prepares its network to address growing network data traffic and mobile backhaul demands. Alcatel-Lucent and Vodafone bring TWDM-PON to customers in the field, delivering up to 40 Gbps network capacity over an existing fiber network.

Using Alcatel-Lucent’s TWDM-PON (Time and Wavelength Division Multiplexed Passive Optical Networks) technology, Vodafone will be able to achieve high-speed network performance of up to 40 gigabits per second – 10Gbps per wavelength – over its existing fiber infrastructure and seamlessly deliver commercial services to end-customers. The new technology will also help pave the way for new residential data services and deliver the enhanced capacity required by businesses. With over 446 million mobile customers worldwide, TWDM-PON will also play an important role in Vodafone’s strategy to address the increasing bandwidth needed to support its customers as they migrate to 4G mobile services.

The field trial builds on the successful completion of Vodafone’s lab trial in Vigo, Spain, where Alcatel-Lucent’s TWDM-PON technology achieved bit rates of up to 20Gbps over two wavelengths. With TWDM-PON technology Vodafone can increase capacity, converge business and consumer services, drive operational savings and generate new-revenue opportunities, on its existing fiber network.

Vodafone was the first operator to demonstrate TWDM-PON with Alcatel-Lucent in October 2014, and will be the first in Europe to conduct a field trial using this next-generation technology.

Alcatel-Lucent and Vodafone have been engaged in testing and studying potential deployment models for TWDM-PON technology since 2010. During this time the companies have contributed to its standardization.

TWDM-PON can co-exist with existing PON technology, providing a clear and cost-effective way for operators to evolve their fiber access networks. TWDM-PON uses four wavelengths per fiber, giving a total capacity of 40 gigabits-per-second (Gbps), and can support new operational and business uses that create a much faster and higher return on investment for operators than previous generations of PON technology.

The deployment of TWDM-PON technology uses the same fiber infrastructure used by service providers’ residential customers, making it cost-efficient to deliver new, higher-bandwidth services. And by converging services, including the backhaul of mobile traffic, it will not only meet the growing data needs of customers on the move but significantly reduce operational costs.